Rasmus Hojlund scored his 10th Manchester United goal against West Ham with Michail Antonio hailing a ‘great strike’ from a man belatedly making his mark in the Premier League.
Speaking after Erik ten Hag’s side, erm, hammered David Moyes’ Hammers at Old Trafford, Michail Antonio was keen to point out that he is not one of those arriving late to the Rasmus Hojlund party.
The West Ham veteran, like most who had watched the Dane closely during an admittedly sluggish start to life in England’s top flight, knew that it was only a matter of time before Hojlund silenced his critics, while showcasing exactly why Manchester United opted to invest £64 million in a striker who had just one season in Europe’s major leagues under his belt.
Rasmus Hojlund justifying Manchester United’s faith
“To be fair, I liked what I saw at the beginning the season,” Antonio tells Sky Sports, Hojlund scoring in a fourth successive Premier League game as he rattled in a thumping right-footed finish to open the scoring against West Ham.
“Obviously, you rate strikers on scoring goals. But it’s not about just scoring goals. It’s about what you bring as well to the team, and he brings a physicality, he’s been able to get other people involved, he’s a willing runner, and now obviously scoring the goals.
“The goal the scored (on Sunday) was quality. The fake shot dragged onto his weak right foot, into the bottom corner, great strike through the ball. I really rate him.”
That late winner against Aston Villa on Boxing Day is starting to feel like one of those ‘ketchup’ moments, the goals flowing now for a man who had spent the early part of his Premier League career tapping the bottle with increasing desperation.
Five goals in his last seven games
“As long as you believe in yourself – you’ve got self-belief and you know that when you get an opportunity you’re going to take it – and when you take it you feel like you’re going to go on a run… That’s the most important thing,” Antonio adds.
“Be able to control yourself and just believe that you’re good enough to do it. He wouldn’t be in a situation he is right now at United if he couldn’t score goals!
“A centre forward is being able to bring players into the game, run in behind It’s being the whole, complete package instead of just getting goals because it’s a team sport at the end of the day and the team’s meant to help as well.”
In all competitions, Hojlund now has seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists) in his last five matches, a front three of he, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho positively brimming with potential.
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